Freedom of private
property ownership is seen by all too many as something that is a “given” in
America.Unfortunately, it isn’t.Not really, even though it was considered an
unalienable right by Thomas Jefferson in the first draft of the Declaration of
Independence.As we know, that got
scuttled and replaced with “the pursuit of happiness.”So, if the freedom to own property and do
with it as you see fit were actually an unalienable right, would it make a
difference in today’s America?Perhaps
there would be one very big difference.The battle to preserve it would be waged on the front pages of every
publication and in the forefront of every media outlet instead of within small
pockets of concerned citizens who are aware of just how important and basic to
all other freedoms it is.The attempt
to destroy private property ownership rights would not be buried in fine print
of legislation and discussed in secretive planning sessions or watch dogged
only by small grassroots organizations and media outlets.

Why, in the face of
repeated historical evidence, is private property ownership downplayed as
unimportant in the grand scheme of preserving individual freedoms?Is it just ignorance of the masses or an
overall disrespect for the value of human life itself?

The right to own
property is at the heart of understanding and accepting responsibility.As the right erodes, so does responsibility
for the present and future of man’s existence.In today’s America, all too many folks have the idea that property
ownership goes hand in hand with oppression instead of the other way around.It is no wonder why we find so few ready to
defend America no matter what, and why so many are willing to blame all things
evil on wealthy Americans and the American Way Of Life.

The discussion of property rights is not limited to the
ownership of land or “real property,” but land ownership is under constant
attack and remains the most important thread in the discussion.For that reason, all too many citizens
distance themselves from the battle because they figure that it doesn’t concern
them if they do not own real property.Point in fact is, however, that Americans need to once again “take
ownership” of their freedoms, because only through owning something can you
fight to preserve it.To own something,
you must first buy it or have it given to you.If it is only given, and you never invest anything in it, eventually it
will become useless.This is true even
if you buy it and never maintain it.It
certainly will not retain its value or increase in value for future
generations.Does this not describe the
condition of our freedoms in America today?It is time to take responsibility for the fact that we own our freedoms
as surely as some of us own a piece of real property somewhere.Whatever happens to both is entirely up to
us.

You might not be
surprised to know that there is a definite movement afoot to insure that we
cannot do anything about what happens to real private property in America.The frog has been in the pot for a while
now, and the water has almost reached the “cook” stage.At the very heart of the movement to undermine
private property rights is the Growing
Smart Project
funded by any number of folks interested in seeing to it that they and not you
will make decisions about your private property.The “American Planning Association” has produced a two thousand
paged document through this seven-year project beginning in 1994.

Some may say that
this project is all well and good, and where would we be without brilliant
people who are dedicated to “planning” in a professional sense.Of course anyone who has ever dealt with any
zoning issues knows full well that intelligence is not necessarily a
pre-requisite for landing a job on a planning commission.It all boils down to a handful of people
retaining an enormous amount of power over the freedoms of all, without caring
to maintain those freedoms they would take from us.This “project” is far from innocuous to anyone who values freedom
in America today, whether or not they happen also to be landowners.

The importance of
understanding the growing infringements on real property ownership cannot be
understated.Individuals cannot
continue to take an adversarial role against “big land owners” or others who
have been lucky enough to acquire real property in this country.Government entities and foreign citizens own
far too much real estate in America.These two groups dwarf private American ownership.Make no mistake – if free Americans do not
own America, her freedoms will not be maintained!

I have long advised
folks to buy land whenever they can afford to do so without going into
debt.Search for land with the various
“rights” in tact wherever you find it.When you have it, hold it, even if you cannot afford to make any
improvements on it right away – keep the title clear, pay the taxes on it and
keep updated on what is going on in the area around your holdings.Raise your children to appreciate private
property ownership rights, and to understand how they relate to every other
freedom we have.As I look around
today, I see all too many folks striving to purchase a handkerchief sized lot
with an over-priced house on it and a mortgage they can ill afford, while
accepting the mandates handed down by various “homeowner associations” which
severely limit what they can do with this property they are supposed to
own.When did the American Dream get
re-defined in this manner?

I know about all the
strategies for using real estate “purchasing” to grow one’s fortune, and I know
that many fortunes have been made in this manner.There is a downside to this mindset, however, and that is the
failure to place a value on the property itself for what it is.We have recently seen many folks lose their
life’s savings, (and fantastic profits), in an over-inflated stock market.This happened because the stock was not
valued for what it was, but for the wealth it might represent.Real estate may be de-valued on the market
for many reasons, but not because it never really existed in the first
place.

Our freedoms
continue to be infringed, but we all know they actually exist – and if we will
only take ownership once again, we can get them back.

America’s land and
freedoms are at stake.We must own them
or lose them.

Back
to the present:

Owning
land can be the equivalent of finding a gold mine.Many people define the American Dream as owning property, but
that isn’t really the extent of the American Dream.The attempt to “own” property in any sense of the word has caused
far too many folks to turn their dreams into a nightmare simply by overreaching
and burying reality in denial.

The
fact that most people who “own” property these days do not truly own it IS a
reality.They simply have a partial
share in ownership and full responsibility for anything that goes wrong on the
property.They could not claim any
ownership if not for investors’ dollars that have paid the balance of the full
purchase price.These investors are not
required to shoulder any burden for upkeep of said property, and if the deal is
written so that insurance and tax fees are bundled into the mortgage, so much
the better for the investors.This is
more often the case than not.In my
opinion, the property “owner” is actually much better off if his mortgage is
written excluding taxes and insurance, although some “experts” may
disagree.The sole responsibility for
direct payment of these two things will go a long way toward keeping a property
“owner” grounded in reality as well as considerable savings on interest.

Most
smart folks will tell you that there is good debt and bad debt, and that an
“affordable” mortgage on real estate qualifies as the former.I agree, but with extreme emphasis on the
affordable part, and with the added encouragement to pay the debt off as soon
as humanly possible.

One
of the more unique experiences a person can have in this life is that of
participating in the “closing” of a real estate deal.Having done this on more than one occasion as a buyer and a
seller many years ago, I can only imagine that the specifics haven’t changed a
whole lot.Suffice it to say, you come
away from the event with a mixed bag of emotions.The very best feeling in the world, however, only comes from receiving
a deed to the property after a paid in full requirement has been met. Make no mistake, however, you still do not
fully own the property.Just skip a tax
payment and that fact will hit you in the face like a block of ice.Also, “owning” it doesn’t mean that you can
do anything you want with it.Still,
owning property should be a goal for anyone who is the least bit interested in
controlling more of his own destiny.

For
the last twenty years or so, the smart investment guys and far too many
political hacks have been actively encouraging foreign investment in American
real estate.That may or may not come
as a shock or surprise to you, but it should – especially in these days where
hard working, honest American citizens are drowning in debt as they try to
capture their own piece of the American Dream.I find it appalling that wealthy foreign investors are offered the real
dream on a silver platter – complete with a fast track to American citizenship,
while our own very wealthy citizens are leaving the country in droves because
of punishing taxes and regulation on their wealth.Is that not alarming to anyone else?

Say
what you will, but American citizenship should be among the most cherished
possessions of anyone who truly understands this country.That is fast becoming questionable in the
minds of too many wealthy Americans, as well as business owners.We are upside down in a concrete
straitjacket about to be kicked off the pier if we can’t see the danger to
everything we hold dear.

The
rush is on, and China is one of the biggest players, in the game of buying and
selling of America, but there are others as well.I call this a gold rush because of the intrinsic value of
America, American citizenship, and American real estate.This may be painful for some that are just
waking up with a ho-hum attitude, but you’d better grab a cup of strong coffee
and dive into this subject with your eyes wide open.

To
get you started, may I suggest a little research on three things?You may already think you know all about a
couple of them, but as you do your research, think of them altogether, and
think about the combined effect of all three.Simply research “sustainable development”, “Agenda 21”, AND “EB-5” –
better yet, plug them all into your search engine at once, and see what you
get.If you are afraid of being called
a conspiracy theorist, or if you’d like to try to hang that label on me, I pity
you.

While
we are being distracted by the so-called illegal immigration problem and how to
deal compassionately with “kids” and others who were smuggled into America
through no fault of their own, the REAL problem that will kill us all is being
all but ignored.You can bet that
progressives, communists, socialists, and everyone else that hate American
traditions do NOT care one iota about those kids.They may covet the potential of future votes from them but that
is as far as it goes.The economy and
jobs may be the biggest concerns being touted by politicians in this election
year, but I had much rather see some of them “concerned” with this wholesale of
American values.I would like to see
much more in-depth reporting from the press and media about the idea that
America is for sale and most Americans either don’t know it or don’t care.

I
have read, heard, and watched ad nauseam the commentary on the now famous Obama
Roanoke Speech containing the “you didn’t build that” statement from a couple
of weeks ago.It makes no difference to
me what he was talking about – private businesses or the infrastructure
surrounding them – his comments were wrong on so many levels.For a guy who is always seeking to take
personal credit for everything good and nothing bad about the “unbelievable
American system,” he just doesn’t come across as positively uplifting in any
way.Let’s not forget that private
businesses ARE privately owned property, while infrastructure funding must
first be confiscated from individuals and business entities.Also, what of the foreign businesses that
exist within the same system?It seems
as though this administration never bothers to deride foreign investments in
anything, but is content to chastise American wealth and effort at every turn.

The
last piece of this that I will ask you to consider is the increasing government
and societal attitude that morals do not “belong” to Americans.We have no right to “own” our appreciation
for what is normal, decent human behavior or our duty to protect what is ours
against any individual or collective that would seek to strip it from us.Anyone who espouses such a convoluted philosophy
truly does not understand America or the freedom she is supposed to
represent.